Volume 3, No. 5. March 14, 2003
New
Arrivals
It’s
a waterpark!
Scott Enterprises in Erie, Pennsylvania, announces the arrival of Splash Lagoon,
February 28, 2003. Measurements: 77,000 square feet (7,154 square meters) total
containing a 45,000-square-foot (4,181-square-meter) waterpark featuring five-story,
12 level play structure with 48-foot-tall (15-meter-tall), 1,000-gallon (3,785-liter)
tipping bucket, seven slides, two 50-person whirlpools, a 300-foot (91-meter)
lazy river, an 80,000 gallon (302,833-liter) activity pool, one grill and one
bar; a 6,500-square-foot (604-square meter) arcade with 110 games; a 3,000-square-foot
(279-square-meter) private party room with a capacity of up to 250 people; one
gift shop and two macaws. Delivered by Aquatic Pools & Construction, Bob
Banks, National Rock & Sculpture, Neptune-Benson, Optic Nerve Art Corporation,
ProSlide Technology, Pro Tile, Rock Images, SCS Interactive, Water Technology,
Weber Murphy Fox Architects, Wizard Works and Zebec.
The temperature was 14 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 10 Celsius). Snow was falling.
What else is new in this Lake Erie shore city in February? A place to swim.
“People in Buffalo, Pittsburgh and Cleveland are coming to Erie in March,
and that’s not typical,” said Nick Scott Jr., who with his brother
Chris and their father Nick Scott Sr. own several hotel and restaurant franchises
under the Scott Enterprises umbrella. “They’re making the trip to
Erie, Pennsylvania, in the dead of winter for the weekend.” They’re
making that trip because of Splash Lagoon, an $18.5 million waterpark the Scotts
built adjoining three of their hotels—a Comfort Inn, a Residence Inn by
Marriott and a Holiday Inn Express, the last opening 10 months ago in anticipation
of the waterpark’s debut.
The Scotts once owned an outdoor waterpark in Erie, but they didn’t like
the four-month season and the vagaries of Erie’s weather. “When you
depend on Mother Nature, it’s a risky endeavor,” Scott said. “That’s
why we decided to take that element of risk out of the equation and go indoor.
We call it vacation insurance.”
The sentiment would have served well in its own right, but the Scotts went a
lot further with their new venture. They placed a lot of care in the theming,
trying to emulate the getaway feel of a South Pacific desert isle. Of particular
note are the wall murals custom painted for Splash Lagoon by Optic Nerve Art
Corporation of Columbus, Ohio, depicting volcanic landscapes and tropical sealife.
The Scotts supplemented the standard collection of slides with two ProSlide
bowls, the body-slide Hurricane Hole and the tube-slide Cyclone,
the latter proving to be the park’s most popular attraction among guests
in the first two weeks. The Tiki Tree House has a tipping bucket, but
this one alternates the action, pouring its 1,000 gallons down into the play
area then, three minutes later, tipping backward into The Cyclone. “If
you time it right in The Cyclone, you just might get a little extra amenity,
a little added excitement,” Scott said.
Splash Lagoon even has its own set of costumed mascots, DJ, Lola and Joey, with
DJ the monkey playing a central role in the opening ceremonies. The Scotts used
a VIP party on the eve of the public opening for the park’s ribbon cutting
as 2,000 invited guests enjoyed a buffet, tropical music, hula dancers, a fire
eater and 120 kids demonstrating the various attractions. DJ mingled among the
crowd before heading up the slide structure and riding down the 350 foot-long
(107-meter-long) Big Kahuna tube slide, breaking through a ribbon at
the bottom. Then DJ joined the emcee and removed his mascot head, revealing
himself to be Nick Scott Sr. (he had switched places with the real DJ at the
top of the slide tower). The Scotts then invited the kids to join them in another
ribbon cutting ceremony at the foot of the tree house. Scissoring that ribbon
triggered the tipping bucket, dousing the crowd and queuing the band to play
“Cheeseburger in Paradise.”
An apropos choice. Here you can get a cheeseburger in paradise, a paradise in
Erie.
THE LOOP is written and produced by Eric Minton, Minton Enterprises, LLC. To see more examples of Eric Minton's work and Minton Enterprises services, visit www.ericminton.com.
©2003, Minton Enterprises
LLC
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